Page 7 of Bullied Wolf Mate
“I’ll tell you after we’ve gotten them and we’re out of here,” Declan growled. “The whole point is moot if we don’t get out of here.”
We made our way to the other cells, opening each one as we passed them. Five other shifters sat behind the next few doors, each looking as though they were ready for a fight until they saw Declan.
“That’s everyone,” Declan said after the final Gold Wolf positioned himself behind his leader. “Now, we just need to get the witch.”
Without waiting for Jameson to say anything, he pushed his way past and headed further down the hall. His head swiveled from side to side, every inch of him alert and ready to spring, as if expecting someone to jump on us at any moment.
Something that sounded like pebbles tapping against the stone walls sounded through the hall. It fell silent as we approached.
“Give me that hammer you were using,” Declan ordered Jameson, holding out his palm. Jameson raised an eyebrow at his tone but complied.
Declan moved to the door, peering into the room through the barred window. Whatever he saw on the other side must have satisfied him because he slammed the hammer against the door. The wards glowed briefly, then the door moved open.
“You’re not Orin,” a woman’s voice said, something like distrust on the edges of her voice.
“No, I’m not.” Declan’s lip twitched upward. “Are you all right?”
“As all right as I can be. Who are you?” the woman asked.
I frowned, tilting my head. Why did her voice sound so familiar? It tickled something at the back of my head, an old memory I couldn’t place. I tried to look into the cell, but the hall was crowded with shifters, and I couldn’t get a glimpse inside from this position.
“I’m Declan,” Declan said. “We’re here to get you out of here.”
Nothing sounded beyond the door for a long moment.
“How did you know I was here?” the voice asked.
“I can explain all that when we get out of here,” Declan said. “We’re running on borrowed time right now.”
Another pause. “How do I know I can trust you?” she asked. “For all I know, this is one of Inara’s tricks.”
“Would one of Inara’s people break the wards on her cell door?” He gestured at the damage he had caused. “That’s as good as I can give you at the moment. You can either trust me and get out of here, or stay in there.”
I could tell it was a lie based on the look in his eyes. Even if this witch decided to stay, Declan would drag her out of here.
What the hell made her that important?
Another pause. “I’m not going to be of any use right now. I don’t have a wand.”
“That’s fine. We’ve got a way out. We don’t need magic.”
A derisive snort. “What? You’re just going to waltz through the front door?”
“That’s how they got in here,” Declan said, jerking his head back at Jameson. When no response came from inside the cell, he added, “We’re running out of time. Once we get out of here, you can ask all the questions you want. But for now, I need you to trust that we came here for you and we want to get you as far away from Inara as possible.”
“I… all right.” A shuffling sound came as the witch made her way to the entrance to the cell, moving slowly.
“What’s your name?” Declan asked.
The girl’s face emerged as she stepped into the doorway.
My mouth dropped open as recognition slammed into me.
“I’m—” she began.
“Lorelei?” I asked.
Lorelei froze. Her head whipped around, locking onto me. Her mouth dropped open.